Importance Of Setting In The Scarlet Letter

Zakk Hartwig
PIB English 10
Period 2G
October 20, 2010
The Scarlet Letter

In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses many different settings to portray important functions and significance. Several of the settings such as the prison and cemetery, the town, Governor Bellingham’s house, the scaffold, the forest, the lighting, and so on have a deeper definition. The settings act as theme enhancers that make the novel more complex and classic. Hawthorne’s use of setting is spectacular in the way he makes it more than just a place or time; he makes it connect deeply to the characters and the plot. In fact, none of the aspects of the novel are irrelevant because everything relates whether it be straightforward or softly hinted. First
off, the “primeval forest” is a major symbol of freedom (Hawthorne 167). It is where Hester and Pearl meet with Dimmesdale and can exist like they are meant to; together. In the town, under the eyes of the townspeople, they have to pretend as if they have never loved and never known each other. Having to hide is hard on the heart and soul, especially Dimmesdale’s. However, without the watchful eye of society upon their backs they can throw off their burdens and unlock the shackles that society has placed upon them. They are able to do this because the forest is a “black” and “disclosed” world where no Puritan laws exist (Hawthorne 167). Some may view the forest as an evil place where witches, such as Mistress Hibbins, go to practice witchcraft, but the forest is also shelter of freedom for those that have sinned, thus Hester and Dimmesdale can be their true selves without having to worry about persecution and judgmental glares delivered by society. In addition to the forest representing freedom, the recurring theme of the sunlight in the forest represents purity and truth. The sunlight always seems to find Pearl no matter where she is and shine bright upon her, implying that she is innocent and good. However, the sunlight fails to come in contact with Hester until she takes off the scarlet letter, signifying that she is good but society treats her unfairly by placing the scarlet letter upon her. The scarlet letter itself is contaminated but Hester herself is pure. After she casts off the evil society has placed upon her by removing the scarlet letter, “forth burst[s] the sunshine, pouring a very flood into the obscure forest…” (Hawthorne 186). The sunshine knows, in a sense, that Hester is truly good and pure. A third significance is painted through setting during the three scaffold scenes at the beginning, middle, and end of the novel.
In each, it is Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl all on the scaffold or “guilty platform” together which represents how they are all bound together by the adultery committed (Hawthorne 136). They are punished together even though it may not look like it because Hester is clearly punished by society while Dimmesdale is subliminally punished by himself. The scaffold is a raised platform in the market place to represent that it is the area where sin is recognized and acknowledged by everyone, and the area where the strict Puritan laws are enforced. It makes the characters feel the reverse of what they feel in the forest due to the fact that they are alienated and judged on the scaffold while they are accepted by the forest. It is also the place where Dimmesdale can escape from Chillingworth’s cold clutches because it is the place where sin is confessed. Chillingworth makes Dimmesdale weaker by keeping his act of adultery secret and letting him slowly die due to the overflow of guilt and shame. In addition, the scaffold is the center of attention so it also indicates large, important events in the novel. The three scenes are all very important to the novel; the first scene is when all of the main characters are introduced, the second is when the family is truly “together” for the first time and linked together by an “electric chain” (Hawthorne 138), and
the third and final scene is when Dimmesdale finally admits his sin publically that he is the father of Pearl, just before he dies. Hawthorne is clearly an expert at relating his setting to the plot and characters because all of the settings have a deeper translation that create significance within the novel. The function of the settings is very important as they back up ideas and follow through with themes to make a more thorough statement. When Hawthorne wants to make a theme clear he does it in any way possible, including and especially through setting. Without setting as powerful as it is, The Scarlet Letter, would have probably never been made famous and known over 150 years after it has been published like it is today.